"NO SANDWICH MEN"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 239, 3 July 1920, Page 6

"NO SANDWICH MEN"

—♦ MAYOR AND HOME SERVICE , ' LEAGUE. . Some thirty members of.the Home Se> vice League,.headed by the secretary (It. H. E, Elliott),, waited upon the May<r (Mr. J. P. Luke) yesterday morning b air what they considered ft gricvanra against tho municipal authorities. Jt appears that the league intends to petition Parliament to be provided for under the Discharged' Soldiers' Settlement ; Act the benefits of which the home servictmen do not now enjoy, and/ in order l< get the signatures of ex-homo service mei now in private- life the committee ap proached the City Council foi\ pernu'ssiot to place petition tables here and then throughout the city and for the right tc have sandwich men parading the streets with the intimation that these were tlu last days before the petition was to be presented. Permission was granted for the use of tables in the street, but tho request to be allowed to'advertise tlia petition by way of sandwich men waa refused. Mr. Elliott referred • yesterday to the. council's refusal to allow sandwich men in the streets, and said that in Christ church there had been no trouble about the matter. Besides, the 'council frft quently allowed sandwich men to par-' ade with-announcements of drapery sales, football matches, and picnics at-Day'! Bay. The league, therefore, was beiti; refused rights which seemingly were free ly granted to others. He wished to knou on" what grounds the refusal had beel made. ' The Mayor said'that he was not quit* snro whetbter the council had rights re tho sandwich. men, iind he at once con. suited the town clerk, who replied t.hnl tho permission of the council was necessary, as wasiftlso that of the police. Anyhow the matter had been considered, and tho councillors were firmly of the opinion that they would not be doing the righl thing in allowing the league to advertisi its propaganda in the busy streets with t!ie aid of sandwich boards. Personally, he was against it,, and he thought tho council as a whole was, but if the league was not content he was porfectly willing to bring the matter in the ordinary way before the council. Mr. Elliott said that there would be nc time for that, as they were going to approach Parliament very soon. It seemed to him that as others were not'being refused this modest request, th'y' (the leatrue members) were being victimised. The Mayor said' ho would not: allow the word '"victimisation" to be used. II was nothing of the kind, and they knew it —li& simplv did not wish the council to lie identified with the propaganda of the lcasue, and such would be the enso if thev allowed sandwich men on the streets. That was all ■ there was to b« said in the matter. Thereupon the deputation retired in high dudgeon.